Why Electronic Arts’ It Gets Better Video Is Worth Watching

I know what you're thinking: Not another It Gets Better video. But wait! This one if from Electronic Arts, the video game producer behind Medal Of Honor and The Sims. And it stars its LGBT employees. Why is this significant? Because inside the video gaming industry, a deep secret lurks: homophobia is rampant. And it's not just what you see displayed publicly by gaming companies. As we saw with Heroes of Newerth, the institutional homophobia of the industry can leak out into game play, so just imagine what's going on inside these companies. (We've heard our fair share of stories about an unwritten Don't Ask Don't Tell rule that permeates the industry's top firms.) So this video from EA, posted on the company's official YouTube channel, is a small step to change the conversation. Yes, we've seen some positive developments, and who doesn't like the idea of developers creating a hot gay sex scene? But if we're ever going to get closer to, say, a leading gay gaming character, then we're going to have to stamp out the industry's phobia problem. And it starts with efforts like this one. Thanks, EA, for reminding us gays don't just play video games. They create them, too.